Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In news that may distress or delight, I will not be in parliament next week. It is happy news for some, but, hopefully, Mr Speaker, you will miss me. I will be attending the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue in Washington. It is the 16th dialogue. People would be aware that the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue has served an important role over many years now in building and reinforcing the people-to-people links across our two nations. The Australian-American Leadership Dialogue has always enjoyed strong support from both sides of politics and has always been attended by members from both sides of politics.

The dialogue this year will be focusing on a number of contemporary challenges that face both of our nations. Those contemporary challenges include the international economic circumstances. They also include energy, security, international defence cooperation and the major challenge of climate change. I am aware that the dialogue staff working with the US State Department and members of the Bush administration have, in particular, been working hard on bringing the program together, and I thank them for that. The Australian-American alliance has been an enduring feature of this nation’s foreign policy. It is supported by both sides of parliament, and our defence relationship with America is very important to us.

But beyond our defence relationship, our economic ties, our cultural ties and, most importantly of all, our people-to-people ties bring our nations close together. The Australian-American Leadership Dialogue has played a strong and continuing role in those people-to-people ties. As members of the House may be aware, the dialogue does not just encompass politicians; it has always encompassed leading businesspeople, academics, social commentators and people who work in public policy. Once again, the dialogue in Washington next week will bring together a broad range of Australians meeting with a broad range of our American counterparts.

I note that I will be attending the dialogue. I will be accompanied by the Minister for Resources and Energy, the member for Batman, who will also be attending with me. I will be accompanied in terms of the opposition, as I understand it, by the current shadow minister for foreign affairs, the member for Goldstein, and by one of my counterparts, the shadow minister for education, the member for Casey. I understand my immediate predecessor as Deputy Prime Minister, the member for Lyne, will be attending. I understand that the last Minister for Foreign Affairs, the member for Mayo, will be attending, and I understand that the former Treasurer, the member for Higgins, will also be attending.

Mr Speaker, should you decide at any point that my absence is distressing you, can I reassure you that in my absence the Prime Minister will be acting as the Minister for Education and will be continuing the implementation of the government’s education revolution, and the Minister for Employment Participation will be acting as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. So should it become necessary to update the House on the location of Work Choices propaganda, or indeed on manifestations of industrial relations extremism by the Liberal Party, the member for Gorton will be available for that purpose.

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